Kalinick takes indefinite leave of absence as Uber CEO

Uber CEO Travis Kalinick told the tech firm’s staff on Tuesday that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from the position, following a series of PR scandals for the company and the death of his mother in a boating accident.

Kalinick’s decision came at the same time as the release of recommendations from US attorney general Eric Holder, following a review into the company’s workplace culture.

Uber was rocked earlier this year by the allegations from a former employee that she had been sexually harassed and that the company continued to tolerate such behaviour after her departure.

Holder’s report recommended an evaluation of Kalinick’s responsibilities, as well as increased oversight from its board.

Holder’s report recommended an evaluation of Kalinick’s responsibilities

“I need to take some time off of the day-to-day to grieve my mother, whom I buried on Friday, to reflect, to work on myself, and to focus on building out a world-class leadership team,” Kalinick wrote in an email to staff on Tuesday.

“If we are going to work on Uber 2.0, I also need to work on Travis 2.0 to become the leader that this company needs and that you deserve.”

Among the other recommendations included by Holder’s report was the appointment of a chief operating officer alongside the CEO.